The Syria Mess

Most republican candidates for president are complaining about President Obama mishandling the crisis in Syria, which began in 2011. They say the US should have led other powers in applying force against Assad and that our allies (France, Britain and others) would have followed. Syrian communities under attack before the appearance of ISIS were begging for help from the US and the West. Human Rights Watch was complaining about Assad's " indiscriminate, and in some cases deliberate, air strikes against civilians." Britain, Turkey, and Gulf states had been joined by the US in recognizing the anti-Assad coalition as the sole legitimate representative of the Syrian people. Unfortunately, no base was established for this alternative Syrian regime where its military force could rally, defended by US air power, which could have driven Assad's force from the skies. But there were arguments against intervention in Syria.

Now, in September 2015, Russia is continuing its support for the Assad regime, and Republicans in the US are complaining about that. Russia is delivering material and manpower to Syria, and the Obama administration is said to be accepting an offer from Russia for direct talks on its military buildup in Syria. Three years ago some hope was placed in talks with Russian involvement to end the Syrian crisis, and nothing came of it. There has been a flood of talks sponsored by the UN since 2011 while military and material conditions have asserted themselves.

Today, a report by BBC News describes Assad in an interview for Russian TV saying he will not quit under foreign pressure, saying the Syrian people must decide. That is his BS statement. He has the enthusiastic support of his fellow Alawites, said to be 12 percent of Syria's population, while the Syrian people who hate his guts are either dead, under the control of his enemies who are under ISIS control or have fled as refugees. Assad suggests a democratic transition which isn't possible.

Assad can't be very concerned about the thousands of refugees who have been flooding into Europe. These are people who don't like him very much – people who want the benefits of a peaceful, free and democratic society, paid for with blood by Europeans and Americans in the 20th century.